A woman who for three years worked with a ring of several other people to steal personal information and cash forged checks has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison.
Carol Crane, 47, hometown unavailable, also was ordered in U.S. District Court in Portland to pay restitution of about $200,000 to numerous individuals and banks, according to a bulletin Wednesday from Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Caldwell.
Crane is the sixth person in the ring to plead guilty and be sentenced for such crimes committed in the Portland metro area and in Washington.
The case was investigated by the FBI and a long list of area law enforcement agencies including the Vancouver Police Department, the bulletin said.
The investigation revealed that Crane and accomplices stole purses, wallets, personal identification, credit cards, checks and other items from people and businesses.
They forged the stolen checks and, using the stolen ID, cashed the checks at financial institutions.
They also used stolen credit and debit cards to get cash advances and buy things, the bulletin said.
Officials say the crimes began in 2004 and Crane pleaded guilty to bank fraud in December 2006, admitting that the ring, up to that point, had stolen ID from more than 50 people and stole about $150,000 from financial institutions.
After pleading guilty, officials say, Crane continued committing ID thefts and defrauding banks in the Portland area and along Interstate 5 in Washington — as far north as Tumwater and Federal Way — during early 2007. That added another $50,000 to the restitution Crane was ordered to repay.
John Branton: 360-735-4513 or john.branton@columbian.com.
